Not everyone in Tooele County felt the 6.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked much of the Great Basin on Thursday. Those that did, however, will not soon forget the feeling of being shaken from the inside out. It's a feeling that can leave you unbalanced and uneasy for weeks. If that's what a major quake feels like when its epicenter is 150 miles away, none of us want to imagine what would happen if the next quake struck closer to home.
Earthquakes cause panic. Even when the panic passes, they leave us second-guessing: Should I have stayed in my home or tried to get outside? Should I have crawled under that table or tried to run upstairs? And after the second-guessing come the bigger-picture questions: How would my family survive if power were knocked out for days in the middle of winter? Would I be able to get to my loved ones or communicate with them?
We live on fault lines and ancient lake beds. A catastrophic earthquake is a real possibility here, and these are questions too important to forget. All of us should take last week's quake as an early warning to learn how to behave when the next quake strikes.
The first and most important thing we can do is prepare. That means making homes earthquake-safe by anchoring heavy objects to walls, removing objects from above beds and couches, and making sure nothing heavy or dangerous is above head-height of the shortest member of your family. Next, put together an emergency kit with all the water, food, medicine, hygiene and survival supplies your family would need to weather a prolonged period of crisis without modern conveniences -- most experts recommend a three-day kit as a minimum.
Finally, it's important to know how to behave during and after an earthquake. If you're inside, take shelter under a desk, table or doorway that's well away from windows or other glass. If you're outside, stay in the open away from buildings, trees, poles and power lines. If you're driving, pull over in an open place, stop, and stay in your vehicle. All members of the family should know how to turn off gas, water and electricity in the home in event of leaks. They should all be familiar with where to find emergency telephone numbers. Most importantly, every family must have a plan for reuniting in the case of any disaster.
These preparations are largely common sense and require little time and money, yet few of us undertake them. Last week's earthquake, however, may be just the impetus we need to realize that next time we might not be so lucky, but we can be better prepared.